


Old Blue Eyes

by respoftw



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:22:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27711293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/respoftw/pseuds/respoftw
Summary: “Sure thing blue eyes,” the bartender tipped them a wink before he moved over to the taps.“His eyes are hazel,” Rodney muttered under his breath.“I’m pretty sure he was talking to you,” John said, his mouth hiding a smile.
Relationships: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Comments: 36
Kudos: 137





	Old Blue Eyes

Rodney wasn’t sure what was more bizarre; that Jennifer had chosen to have her bachelorette party at a gay bar or that he had accepted the invitation to come. After all, his proposal to her all those years ago had been an unmitigated disaster. The Jennifer of ten years ago hadn’t been ready for marriage. Or maybe it was just that she hadn’t wanted to be married to Rodney.

He didn’t grudge Jennifer her happiness though. Even ten years ago, in the midst of the hurt, he’d known it was the right decision. Had she said yes, both of their lives would be very different. He was pretty sure that ultimately they were both happier for her decision. And Jennifer was very happy.

“Rodney!” she squealed. “You came!”

Rodney expected that alcohol was a contributing factor to the volume of Jennifer’s current happiness but he could see beneath that to the way she seemed to glow from within. The years hadn’t touched her much, if anything they’d made her even more beautiful and, as shocking as the dark brown hair was to him, he had to admit that it suited her.

“And you brought Colonel Sheppard! Hi John!”

“Keller,” John’s smile was tight but Jennifer didn’t seem to notice.

“You won’t be able to call me that much longer,” she beamed. “Nope. In six days I will be Jennifer Mitchell. So, you’re either going to have to call me Mitchell or finally use my first name.”

“You’re taking his name?” Rodney’s voice was perhaps a shade too loud but the issue of name taking had been one of the many issues that had come up during their very brief engagement ten years ago.

“Hey, buddy, how about we get you a drink?” 

Rodney let John steer him towards the bar, accepting Jennifer’s conciliatory pat on the shoulder as she moved on to greet whoever had come in after them.

“She’s taking his name,” Rodney complained as John tried to get the attention of the bar staff. “Can you believe that?”

John sighed heavily as he tried and failed to catch any of the servers attention. He stopped trying to flag them down and shifted at the bar until he was facing Rodney square on.

“Why do you care?” John asked, sounding genuinely curious. “Do you still, y’know..” John made a gesture with his hand that Rodney easily translated as ‘love her’. In over a decade of knowing John Sheppard, Rodney had gotten fluent in John’s trailed off silences and hand gestures.

“Of course I don’t,” Rodney snapped. He turned away from John’s curious eyes and waved for the attention of one of the bar staff.

“Well, hey there blue eyes,” the bartender greeted them cheerily. “What can I get you?”

“Two of whatever beer you have on tap,” Rodney ordered. 

“And a shot of Jamieson,” John added. 

“Sure thing blue eyes,” the bartender tipped them a wink before he moved over to the taps.

“His eyes are hazel,” Rodney muttered under his breath. 

“I’m pretty sure he was talking to you,” John said, his mouth hiding a smile. 

“With you standing right there next to me? I don’t think so, General.”

John shook his head, a wry smile on his face. “You really don’t see it, do you?”

Rodney snorted. “I can assure you that after 16 years of being your best friend I’m well aware of our corresponding attractiveness levels.”

The bartender returned with two beers and a shot of Jamieson which he placed in front of Rodney. Rodney rolled his eyes and pushed the shot glass across to John, the scrape of glass on wood louder than it should be in a club with Jimmy Somerville playing from the speakers at eleven. 

“Can we open a tab?” he asked the bartender. He was pretty sure he was going to need a lot of alcohol to get through the night.

“Sure thing,” the bartender smiled. “What name can I put against that?”

“Dr Rodney McKay.”

“Oh my, a doctor. Brains and good looks.” The bartender faked a gasp that was possibly supposed to be charming. He was saved from Rodney’s reply when another patron called for his attention but made sure to toss Rodney a wink as he left.

“Still think he was flirting with me?” John asked, amused.

“I think that he’s a good looking kid working at a gay bar who sees an out of shape, middle-aged man as an easy mark for tips.” Rodney took a sip of his beer which was just as terrible as he thought it would be. Sighing, he turned around so his back was to the bar and let his gaze run through the crowd.

Jennifer’s bachelorette party was easy to spot in amongst the crowd of gay men, most of whom were young enough to have been Rodney’s progeny. John had turned as well, his arms resting on the bar behind, his elbow pressing against Rodney.

“She seems to be enjoying herself,” he said, nodding in Keller’s direction.

Rodney hummed noncomitally. It wasn’t Jennifer that he was watching. 

John snorted a laugh. “You’re old enough to be their father, McKay.”

“And don’t I know it,” Rodney sighed. “When did we get old?”

John shrugged. “Somewhere after 40 I think.”

“Oh, please. I meant me, not you. Look at you.”

John just shook his head and stared into the crowd. Rodney watched him, noticing where his eyes paused, wondering what John’s type in men was. Sixteen years of friendship and Rodney hadn’t known John was bisexual until six months ago. He’d thrown a hissy fit, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he’d never shared his own bisexuality with John either. It had ended in a week long fight that rivalled the dark weeks post-Arcturus but then Rodney had found out Jennifer was marrying Cameron Mitchell and he needed his best friend to talk him down from the proverbial ledge.

John hadn’t hesitated. Not when Rodney needed him.

The fight was forgotten after that but neither of them had brought up their joint bisexuality since. 

“Stop staring at me.”

Rodney moved his gaze back to the crowd. “Sorry. I was just - I don’t even know what type of guy you go for.”

“We talking about this?” John asked.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” 

John drained the rest of his beer and turned to face the bar, trying to flag someone’s attention. After a minute, he gave up and sighed. “Hey, blue eyes, a little help here?”

“Yes, because that’s going to work,” Rodney said sarcastically as he turned to the bar. He lifted his hand anyway, a muscle memory, and the same bartender from before immediately came over.

“What can I get for you, Dr?” he asked cheekily.

“Seriously?” Rodney asked. “Do you - do you not have eyes?”

The bartender blinked, confused. “Uh, yes?”

“I mean - have you seen who I’m stood next to?”

The bartenders eyes flicked to John for a second before turning back to Rodney. “Yes,” he said hesitantly. 

“Then you can clearly see that he’s the hottest person in this entire club by an Athosian mile and yet somehow you expect me to believe that he’s not even worth your attention?”

“Rodney -“

“No.” Rodney batted John’s hand away. “I mean it. It’s insane. Explain yourself,” he demanded.

The bartender looked at John apologetically and shrugged. “He’s, I, look I, he’s a little puffy looking? I mean, no offence, I’m sure you’re a great guy and all that but -“

Rodney slammed a twenty on the bar and grabbed John’s arm, pulling him away. 

“Hey!” John protested.

Rodney ignored him until they were outside, the cold air a shock after the warmth of the club.

“Rodney, what the hell was that?”

Rodney shook his head, gulping down the air. 

“Hey, what? Are you ok?” John’s hands were patting at Rodney’s shoulders; his arms; his face and Rodney felt something break.

He pulled John close, pushed him against the wall of the club and brought their mouths together. It was awkward and painful, a clash of teeth and a bump of noses and then John got with the program and shifted just right until - - Rodney shivered and it had nothing to do with the cold.

“You’re not puffy,” he said weakly, breathing heavily into John’s neck as they broke apart.

He could feel John’s smile against the top of his head.

“I’m 53 years old, Rodney. I’m kinda puffy. It’s better when I have a beard but you made me shave for this.”

“You’re the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” Rodney breathed. “Always have been, always will be.”

John shifted, lifting Rodney’s head until they were looking at each other. Hazel to blue.

“You want to know what my type is?” 

Rodney nodded.

“You.” John brought his forehead down to rest against Rodney’s own. “Always has been, always will be.”

Rodney got lost for a little while after that. Lost in John’s lips, his arms, his everything.

“We’re missing Jennifer’s bachelorette,” John eventually said.

“I don’t care.”

“Ok, then. How about we take this somewhere more private? My old bones are cold.”

“My hotel room?”

John nodded, his smile wide and he was the best thing Rodney had ever seen. 

“Lead the way, blue eyes.”

The next day Rodney sent Jennifer a fruit basket as an apology for missing her party.

“You’re welcome,” she replied in text. “It’s about damn time.”

John laughed when he showed him the text.

“Jennifer’s got a point,” he said. “It’s about damn time.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This little fic was started approximately a million years ago when I got a tumblr comment about how David Hewlett was aging better than Joe Flanigan. I, a Rodney girl, am not the most objective person to ask for their opinion on that. Personally I think they both look fanstastic but if you want to make it a competition, David Nykl is beating them both hands down.
> 
> That being said, I started this fic in the wake of those comments and it’s been languishing at 600 words for well over a year and today I finished it.
> 
> That feels good!


End file.
